Hill to back N-deal
WASHINGTON, Nov 8, (RTRS): US lawmakers signaled they plan to ensure the United States complies with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal despite US President Donald Trump’s misgivings about the pact, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said on Tuesday.
“I got clear indications that the intention is to keep the United States compliant with the agreement,” the EU’s Federica Mogherini said at a press conference on a visit to Washington.
Trump on Oct 13 dealt a blow to the pact by refusing to certify that Tehran was complying with the accord even though international inspectors said it was.
Under the deal Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions.
Trump’s decision has thrown into doubt the future of the pact negotiated by Iran, the EU and six major powers — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States. Congress has until mid-December to decide whether to reimpose sanctions lifted under the deal, something few diplomats expect.
Mogherini sought to avoid publicly becoming embroiled in the US congressional debate about what kind of legislation, if any, to pass even as she stressed the EU’s desire to see the United States stick with the nuclear agreement.
“I made clear any outcome of any
process ... has to be, at the end of the day, compliant with the deal,” Mogherini said. She said she had voiced her readiness to help lawmakers “find solutions that are compatible” with US compliance under the agreement.
Separately, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog told reporters it would be “a pity” if Iran were to cease to provisionally implement the Additional Protocol, which gives the agency more tools to verify a country’s nuclear compliance.
“The Additional Protocol is the most ... important tool for us in the verification. So if it happens, it’s a pity,” said International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano.
Amano told reporters that if Iran were to discontinue the protocol, the IAEA would not be able to get access to undeclared potential nuclear sites.
Amano said that on a visit to Iran last month, Iranian officials had assured him they would continue implementing the nuclear deal and would not be the first to abandon it.
Meanwhile, the White House on Wednesday condemned missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militias on Saudi Arabia, saying they threatened the region’s security and undermined efforts to halt the conflict.
Saudi Arabia said its air defence forces intercepted a ballistic missile fired from warring Yemen over the capital Riyadh on Saturday. The rocket was brought down near King Khaled Airport on the northern outskirts of the capital.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Iran’s supply of rockets to militias in Yemen was an act of “direct military aggression” that could be an act of war.
“Houthi missile attacks against Saudi Arabia, enabled by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, threaten regional security and undermine UN efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict,” the White House said in a statement as US President Donald Trump began a visit to the Chinese capital.